C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigators: Things That Go Bump in the Night

Summary: The EMS killer has nearly paralyzed Las Vegas, but Greg Sanders believes he knows who it may be. But if finding out is half the battle, the other half will be surviving the killer's revenge.

Chapter 1 (Part I)

Part IThere
was an apprehensive, heavy silence in the courtroom while Greg Sanders sat in
the witness chair. The DA paused to collect her thoughts before questioning
him. She was an attractive brown-haired woman, but he wondered if she was even
aware of that right now. He decidedly didn’t care. He just wanted to get back
to the evidence he’d left the new tech.Greg
glanced at Nick Stokes, sitting in a chair directly behind the DA. Greg had to
stop the smile when he remembered how Nick had gone off about the trial on the
way over this morning. It was a posthumous trial for Craig Toomey, a man that
had bombed the clinic almost two months ago. Nick said the case should have
gone to trial before Toomey had a chance to commit suicide, and having it after
his death was a waste of taxpayer’s money. Greg knew better than to attempt to
get Nick off track once he got started on a tirade like that. Voicing that he
disagreed would have driven Nick wholeheartedly into his argument and made him
a road menace. It was safer for everyone to let the storm blow over.

Unfortunately,
the storm was still raging all the way to the doors of the courtroom, so he
never had the opportunity to point out that if the state won the Toomey estate,
plaintiffs would walk away with about five thousand each. It wasn’t much, but
it would at least give them closure. That was good news, and good news is what
the city needed right now.

A serial killer had been running rampant for a week,
murdering homeowners along with EMS and police who responded to fake emergency calls.
Whoever was doing this had somehow hacked into the Emergency Response computers
and was dispatching the EMS and police to their deaths – and so far no one was
able to distinguish a real dispatch from a fake one except to call dispatch.
However, that took time, time that could cost people’s lives and so the murders
continued. The second problem was that every crime scene so far had evidence
but none that identified the killer’s identity.

The
DA approached the stand.

“You
were the second crime scene investigator in charge of inspecting the Centennial
Hills Clinic?”

“Yes.”

A
jolt ran through Greg’s body when his phone began vibrating in his pocket. He
resisted grabbing it.

“Did
you find evidence that Craig Toomey had detonated the bombs on August
twenty-first two thousand and seven?”

The
phone started vibrating again.

“Yes.
We found—” Greg hesitated when Grissom came into the courtroom. He quickly
refocused on the DA. She was waiting for his answer.

“Yes.
After we had taken several of the bomb fragments apart, we found DNA inside
that had survived the explosion. It was matched to Craig Toomey.”

Grissom
sat down behind Nick and leaned over the back of the bench to whisper something.
Nick’s eyes enlarged slightly and he looked back. Greg could read him mouthing ‘Another
one?’

Grissom handed him a piece of paper and left. Nick looked back at Greg.
His lips tightened slightly and even slighter he bobbed his head, his telltale ‘hurry
up’ signal.

“Mr.
Sanders, please answer the question,” Greg heard the DA say.

Greg
refocused on the DA. “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that last question?”

He
stayed focused on her now. He didn’t feel like having the case blown because he
was distracted by a conversation he sure to soon be included.

Nick
turned the SUV around a corner and met a street full of media and other people.
“What is this?” he asked.

Greg
was pulling a T-shirt over his head and hurried to pull it down to see.

“Wow.”

“You
can say that again.”

Policemen
saw the two and it took six to push people back and make a path for Nick to
drive through. Greg watched as they passed an ambulance. Then he looked ahead
and saw two more and suddenly his heart sank.

“The
EMS Killer strikes again.” Greg sighed.

Nick
glanced at him, then ahead. “How do you know?”

“There
is an ambulance on the wrong side of the tape.”

Nick
stopped at the tape and the two got out, pulling their vests on. Greg grabbed
his field kit and headed for the house where police were coming and going.
Assistant Corner David stood at the door writing on a clipboard. Grissom and
Ecklie were halfway up the sidewalk talking.

“Hey,
CSI, when are you going to find this guy? When are you going to stop him?”
someone yelled.

Greg
glanced back. Nick had turned back and was walking up to the paramedic Greg
assumed had shouted out. It was a man and woman team. The woman was more buff
than her male partner was. Greg stopped, watching and waiting to see if Nick
needed help. It was a lengthy conversation. It ended with Nick giving the woman
a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He turned and caught up with Greg. Greg fell
into step beside him.

“They
said half the medics called out sick today. They’re running on a skeleton crew
of six ambulances in a city of over a million people. If we don’t catch this
guy soon, we won’t have any firefighters, paramedics, or police left to protect
Vegas.”

“Not
at night, anyway.”

“Who’s
to say the killer won’t change his m.o. to killing during the day? He’s motives
and patterns have even baffled the profiler. Even she thinks it’s strange that
this guy waits around for the EMS and kills them.”

Greg
didn’t argue. There was a lot about this serial killer that wasn’t adding up,
to everyone else. In his mind, everything made sense, but he wanted evidence to
back him up before he voiced his theory. If he could wait that long, anyway.

The
two stopped next to Grissom, watching Ecklie head back toward the crowd.

“I
want you,” he motioned to Nick, “to sweep the basement. Be meticulous; let’s
see if we can’t find something. Greg, go in the back and help Catherine. The
property opens onto the desert so I want you two to do at least a mile radius.
And we have to have this wrapped up by one. We’re having an all teams meeting
at two-thirty.”

The
two headed off to their assigned areas.

“Greg,”
Grissom called.

Greg
turned back.

“Don’t
ever let another CSI distract you on the stand again.”

Greg
winced. Grissom had noticed that? “I won’t.”

Greg
hurried away to avoid the subject from going further.

Greg
walked into the break room. It was crowded with CSI and lab technicians. He
found an open chair next to Archie. Everyone looked tired. The case was beating
them, wasn’t it?

“Have
any of you found anything?” Grissom asked as he walked to the center of the crowded
room.

Silence.
That wasn’t the response Grissom wanted from an entire team of CSI, Greg was
certain of that. He looked up when the door opened and was surprised to see
Sara. She pulled up a chair next to Greg.

“What
about evidence we’ve collected so far? We collected a piece of clothing at the
last scene and I know we have other evidence bu—”

“Not
to burst your bubbles, boss,” Hodges piped up, “but don’t you think if we
actually had any useful evidence
someone would be doing a victory dance in the hallway?”

Greg
rubbed his finger over his lips to keep from smiling and repress his laughter.
Hodges had a funny way of making the not so happy answers funny –
unfortunately, that humor was lost on Grissom, and most of the rest of the
team, right now.

She
smiled, her cheeks brightening the lightest shade of crimson. “Could he perhaps
be targeting a certain type of house?”

Greg
looked down. No. It wasn’t the houses. His gut told him that.

“What
do you mean?” someone asked.

“They
all seem to be the same architecture and color.”

“That’s
like saying it’s the color and brand of lawnmower they own,” Catherine said.

“Maybe
it is,” Warrick replied.

For
a few minutes, the room was silent. Grissom cleared his throat.

“Any
other ideas?”

‘Yes,’
Greg thought.

“Well,
if that’s all, then—”

“I
think the killer is someone related to or close to the clinic bomber,” Greg
blurted out.

The
entire room turned to look at him, followed by silence.

“Is
there something you found that you haven’t told us, Greg?” Grissom asked. There
was a hint of accusation in the question. It wasn’t something most people would
hear, but it was something that months of working under the man had trained him
to pick up.

“No,”
Greg answered. “It’s just that…” Greg trailed off; noticing eyes hadn’t left
him yet. He wasn’t sure he should even continue and was even less certain he should
have said anything at all.

“Just
what?” Catherine asked.

“Well…
The killings started the same day Craig Toomey committed suicide, just like the
threat letters promised. And the letters all had personal information only
someone related to, or close to, Toomey would know.”

“We
already checked his background, Greg,” Catherine retorted. “He had an ex-wife
and no family or friends.”

“I
still don’t get why he bombed the clinic for his ex,” Mandy commented.

Greg
did get it. Toomey still loved his ex-wife and the bombing was to avenge her
being forced to die by the clinic refusing to help her.

Warrick
defended the accusation. “They refused his medical insurance and she died
because she couldn’t get treatment. The guy loved her, Mandy. Not saying he
should have blown up a building and forty people, but at least his motive made
sense.” Warrick turned to Greg. “This serial killer’s pattern is random, Greg.
It may be rare, but that’s what it is.”

“But
every serial killer has a pattern,” Greg defensively argued, “even if it’s not
obvious to us. The killer is killing these people for a reason and I think they
are somehow connected with Toomey.”

“This banter doesn’t do anything to help us
identify the killer, motive, or pattern,” Grissom said, “so, if there is
nothing else, let’s get back to work. Keep digging.”

People
got up from chairs and crowded toward the door. Nick and Warrick followed,
talking about the piece of clothing Nick had found at the last crime scene.
Greg sighed, staring at the floor. He looked at the pair of hiking boots that
stopped next to his sneaker, and then up at Sara’s face. She smiled.

“It’s
a good theory. More believable than mine.”

“But
there’s no evidence.”

She
smiled, laying her hand on his arm. “Someone once told me that in a case
without evidence, a theory is a good starting place.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks
Sara.”

She
nodded, leaving him. Greg laid his head back against the wall. Every so often,
he imagined his job just might drive him insane.

Sara
came out the door, finding Grissom waiting. The two started walking together.

“I
overheard what you told Greg,” he told her.

She
smiled at him. “Did you?”

“Why
would you do that? He needs to focus on the evidence.”

“Because
you told me that once. My theory was wrong, the evidence proved it, but I didn’t
feel so frustrated trying to solve the case.”

“I
told you that?”

“Yes.
You.”

Grissom
smiled. “I’ll have to remember I said that for the next frustrated rookie.”

Sara
smiled lovingly at him, her hand brushing against his. “I hope she doesn’t fall
in love with you, too.”

Grissom
smiled, but didn’t respond.

Greg
entered the house behind Catherine and the two stopped, staring at the dead
couple, three dead firemen, and two dead policemen. David was checking the body
temperature of the nearest victim, a woman in her early forties.

“I’m
beginning to feel like we’re living in a horror movie,” Catherine commented.

“You
can leave the theater for a horror movie and you don’t get blood on your jeans.”

Catherine
smiled, even chuckled.

“I’ll
go left, you go right?”

“Sure.
We’ll work our way back until David’s done.”

Greg
sat his field case down next to David’s case and pulled out his flashlight.
With a point of light and slow steps, he started around the perimeter of the
room, probing into every nook, every shadowed spot, and every corner that could
hide evidence. He crouched down to look under a chair, shining his flashlight
under it. He froze. He heard someone breathing. It was light, like someone
asleep, but he was definitely hearing breathing. He slowly looked up, expecting
it to be Catherine or David. Catherine had left the room and David was still
with the corpse. Greg’s eyes drifted down to the fireman next to him. He
reached out and pushed his fingers against the man’s throat. A strong, very
much alive, heart pushed blood through the vein under his fingers, surprising
him.

“WE
HAVE A LIVE ONE!” Greg yelled, dropping his flashlight and moving next to the
man.

David
ran to the door, “WE NEED A MEDIC! PRONTO!”

David
leapt over two bodies to get to them and fell to his knees. This was the first
live person they had found at an EMS Killer scene, and perhaps the first person
who could tell them who they were looking for. Catherine ran into the room.

Noelle Anselmo:
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M.L. Bull:
Hello, Aalia!Your story compelled the emotional pain and struggle of a teenage girl very well.. The imagery was also convincing and well-written, showing the different personalities of your characters and their actions. However, I do think that many of your sentences are too lengthy and could use...

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ianwatson:
The comedy is original and genuinely funny, I have laughed out loud many times reading this book. But the story and the plot are also really engaging. The opening two or three chapters seem quite character-dense but they all soon come to life and there is no padding, filling or wasted time readin...

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This is my first book reading on here and I absolutely loved it! If you like a book that'll keep you up late at night then this is your go to. What makes this novel so special is that it shows that even if your not blood related some people would put your needs before there's.

europeanlove:
I gotta hand it to you. I love reading. I read books everyday. When the book is good I can read it in probably 13 hours. Your story was amazing. Great prose, very imaginative. Incredible dialogue. I am deeply impressed. Keep it up.

Sonya YuntHatton:
Are you going to be posting the rest? I read this when originally posted on Fanfiction. LOVE IT!!! Was so glad when it came our as an original book!! And now the MOVIE!!! Holy Mary I am so excited.....But I'm going to HATE, HATE, HATE the wait for part 2. Please let me know if and when you're goi...

PaulSenkel:
If you like Arthur C. Clarke's Odyssey, especially The Final Odyssey, then you will probably also enjoy this book. I definitely did.It does, however, address a more adolescent public than the above-mentioned book.I enjoyed the story and finished it in a few days. The overall situation on earth an...

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